The Lake

Stuff Audio and Popsock Media
The Lake
Latest episode

10 episodes

  • The Lake

    Trailer: Quarantine Nation

    03/03/2026 | 3 mins.
    A lethal virus. A drastic lockdown. A nation turned upside down. 

    From the makers of acclaimed podcasts The Commune, True Story and Witi Underwater, this eight-part narrative series revisits the Covid-19 pandemic with the benefit of hindsight and powerful interviews. Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham delve into what really happened – and what it taught us about ourselves. 

    Subscribe to "Quarantine Nation" wherever you get your podcasts, or follow the links here: ⁠Quarantine Nation Player Links⁠,

    Made with the support of NZ on Air for Stuff by Te Pūrongo Productions.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • The Lake

    Charges Laid | 8

    17/12/2021 | 20 mins.
    Bonus episode: The police have made a decision about whether charges will be laid over what happened at Lake Alice - there's good news and bad news. And the Royal Commission releases findings which finally vindicate what the kids have been saying for decades.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • The Lake

    The State Is A Psychopath | 7

    24/10/2021 | 58 mins.
    Finally the kids of Lake Alice will have their chance to be heard at the Royal Commission of Inquiry. We follow the survivors to Auckland, where they reunite with old friends and take their truth to the stand. Will the Crown take accountability for harm perpetrated to children in its care? Will Dr Selwyn Leeks show? Expect emotional testimony, damning witness statements and shocking disclosures. Plus one final catchup with Tyrone and Rangi - mates through everything.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • The Lake

    One Flew Over the Lake | 6

    24/10/2021 | 52 mins.
    There are so many outrageous stories about Lake Alice it can be hard to sort truth from conspiracy. Often something that starts out feeling far-fetched turns out to be true. In this episode: Scientologists, deep sleep experiments & the CIA, and how NZ was found guilty of torture by the United Nations.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • The Lake

    Outrageous In The Extreme | 5

    24/10/2021 | 53 mins.
    Kids could only stay at the Lake Alice Child & Adolescent for so long, and at 16 they were packed up and sent on. We follow the Lake Alice kids as they try to get on with their lives through the 80s and 90s, and meet Kevin Banks, who’s been fighting for justice for more than 40 years.

    Plus, Leoni decides to take on the Crown.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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About The Lake

For more than five years, New Zealand investigative journalist Aaron Smale has been digging into the injustices - and crimes - of the state welfare system of Aotearoa New Zealand. Of all the unbelievable stories he has investigated, none is more shocking than what happened to children and adolescents at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital in the 1970s under the supervision of head psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks. This podcast contains descriptions of physical, sexual and psychological abuse perpetrated against children, as well as swearing, and frank discussions about mental health and suicide. Take care when and where you listen.
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